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Please visit us at www.foractioninitiative.org.

November 29, 2007

FOS11 Chat Program Online Community Support GroupManaging Expectations for the Holidays

With the holiday season upon us, many people see this as a joyous time -- a time to gather with friends and loved ones and celebrate the season. However for some, the holidays may bring along feelings of anxiety and stress. How do you manage your expectations for the holidays? During our next chat, we will continue this discussion from the last session.

Join us on Tuesday, December 11th, 7:45 PM EST. Log-in is from 7:45 – 8:00 PM EST and the Chat will start at 8:00 PM promptly. This online chat session will provide 9/11 victims' families, survivors, first responders, and others affected by the attacks at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and Shanksville the opportunity to discuss issues and topics of importance in a safe, supportive environment. As a reminder, all participants must be FOS11 members (click here to learn about membership). Dr. Donna Gaffney, a licensed mental health professional and noted trauma specialist, will facilitate the chat.

For directions using the actual screens you will see when you enroll, click here. When you click on the link above to enroll you will then:

First use your FOS11 membership username and password to get to the chat registration (if you don’t know your membership information, you may retrieve it or re-register by clicking here.)

Then, create a specific chat name and password for this chat. Your chat name and password should use only letters - do not use numbers or symbols. You can re-use your chat name and password for subsequent chats.

A few minutes later you will receive a confirmation email that you are enrolled which also includes the link to use on the day of the chat, to get into the chat.

On the day of the chat:

Log-in to the chat 15 minutes before the chat is scheduled to begin. Click on the link that was sent in the email (mentioned above). Be sure to use your FOS11 membership username and password and your chat name and password when prompted.

Your computer may then prompt you to install Java. You need an upgraded version of JAVA to participate in the chat. Allow the chat interface to direct you to the upgrade, then you click "yes" to upgrade, and the JAVA wizard will walk you through the process. It may take a few minutes, but it is not difficult.

If you experience any problems during this process, call (212) 575-1878 or email chathelp@familiesofseptember11.org and describe the issue you are having and give us your contact information, so we can help you through the log-in.